Woman with Hemorrhage

​Community Group Discussion Guide

Icebreakers:

1. Have you ever suffered from a long-term illness?  (How did the long-term illness effect your life?)
2. How do you feel about the high costs associated with medical care?
3. Have you ever suffered from White Coat Syndrome?    (When a person’s blood-pressure goes up, just at the thought of visiting a doctor or dentist)

Scripture: Mark 5:25-34 NASB95
A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, [26] and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— [27] after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. [28] For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” [29] Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. [30] Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” [31] And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” [32] And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. [33] But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. [34] And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”
Digging Deeper:  One can read between the lines, but Mark’s narrative of this story does not detail how the woman with the hemorrhage came to know about Jesus; and even more importantly, come to have faith in Jesus.  Obviously, Jesus had become popular and His fame was spreading across Israel. 

Read verses 25-28: [25] A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, [26] and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— [27] after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. [28] For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”

• Although medical science has advanced over the last 2 thousand years, there is still much that is unknown.  How close do you think the medical field is to the curing of cancer?
• How easy would it be to spend a fortune on medical care?  (Some operations run into the 100’s of thousands of dollars)
• The woman was compelled by faith.  She thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”  Do you think the woman was compelled more by faith or hope?

 
Read verses 29-32 [29] Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. [30] Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” [31] And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” [32] And He looked around to see the woman who had done this.

• What is the difference between a miracle of healing and the natural process of healing?
• Have you ever been instantly healed?  (Please share)
• In this case, many people probably “touched” either Jesus or His garments; what made Jesus’ unexpected contact with the woman stand out?

​Read verses 33,34  [33] But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. [34] And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

• The woman gave her testimony to Jesus.  Why is our testimony so important and powerful?
• How did the woman’s faith make the woman well?

Wrap-up: The woman with the need got close enough to Jesus to touch Him.  Good things happen to people when they get close to God.  Do you love God?  Are you called according to His purposes?   Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.